Can We Blame Crossfit?

I totally “get” the anger and frustration doing the rounds on social media about the ignorant Crossfit tweet*. It was a rubbish attempt to use a disease to sell a product and it was also ignorant as declared by many, many diabetes organisations and individual diabetes advocates, activists and social media participants.

Fair enough. BUT can we really blame a purveyor of something (I have no idea nor do I want to have an idea or promote the product of anyone spreading misinformation about diabetes) for seeing diabetes as fair game when so many diabetes organisations promote this self same message?

In what I find a gob smacking slap in the face for people with “diabetes” everywhere, and flouting its constituents everywhere, THE INTERNATIONAL DIABETES FEDERATION puts THIS on their Facebook page on 2nd July, whilst the maelstrom of social media outrage is still swirling about Crossfit’s tweet of 29th June.

Yes, the language is a little less abrasive than Crossfit’s but when you combine this sort of “messaging” with the IDF’s major “Diabetes Day Campaign 2015” the tagline of which is

can you really blame some marketing bozo for trying to capitalise on the stigma surrounding “diabetes”.

In some misguided attempt to not ignore type 1 diabetes (presumably) they have a “sub” ad for WDD 2015 specifically for type 1, it acknowledges that whilst type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented it can be managed through healthy eating. I find this the most outrageous insult to the 40+ years I’ve spent managing multiple daily injections, finger pricks/urine testing/carb counting/mental callisthenics for insulin food adjustment for exercise and a host of other medical appointments, impositions and treatments. HEALTHY EATING-grrr dismissive and lacking in understanding of type 1 diabetes.

So long as “credible” diabetes organisations such as IDF, supported by Diabetes Australia, DiabetesNSW and so on peddle this sort of information, expect to see more stuff like the CrossFit ads. I can shrug off ignorance but there’s no excuse for organisations who purport to represent us doing this to us. ENOUGH already!